May 2011
1 post
oops!
hi friends! i forgot to update my link to my new(er) blog, in case this is how you access it. the wordpress blog i now use is located at alexroem.wordpress.com
January 2011
1 post
I am hanging up my hat for the time being as a Tumblr blogger and I have switched my JVC blog onto Wordpress.
Check out my shiny, improved blog here!
December 2010
8 posts
homeboy industries →
I went to a wonderful event last night with some of my housemates to hear Father Greg Boyle, a Jesuit, speak about his work in L.A. with Homeboy Industries. He just wrote a book called Tattoos on the Heart, all about his work with gang members and gang intervention programs over the past 25 years. He had some amazing things to say about solidarity and kinship; definitely worth a read!
handmade, homemade, lovemade
one of the reasons i love the northwest so much is the fact that people here are so into handmaking and homemaking things. whether its a blackberry pie, a lavender soap or some felt owls, people in portland especially appreciate the meaning of making things with your own hands. i went to a craft fair yesterday in portland with elena called crafty wonderland, and it certainly was inspiring to see...
what's the impact of your clothing? →
“Apparel doesn’t sound like a dirty industry, but its manufacturing has huge global consequences. Tanning leather often involves toxic chemicals. Making synthetic fabrics such as polyester uses large amounts of crude oil and other materials that release volatile compounds. Cotton-growing is water-intensive—and cotton is often shipped from the U.S. and Europe to Asia to make thread and...
(Disclaimer: This post will be stream-of-consciousness and there will be no chronology whatsoever. Also, I wrote it yesterday but Tumblr would not allow me to post it. Probably because there was too much awesomeness in one post. Enjoy!)
So as I sit in my usual Hillsboro coffee shop and borrow their wifi wonderfulness (usually without purchasing a drink, but its okay because the baristas like me)...
November 2010
19 posts
what food says about class in america →
“You can’t force junk on people and then criticize it at the same time.” Suluki is a community organizer, and sees the web of problems before us—hunger, obesity, health—as something for the community to solve. “We can’t just attack this problem as individuals,” he tells me. “A healthy community produces healthy people.”
making food fair →
my wonderful friend, environmental activist, writer and fellow blogger alex highlights a really important issue for all of us: farmworkers’ rights. watch the video and consider how you make your food choices and how that impacts those who work so hard to bring it to your table.
new bike station in hillsboro! →
Much like the recently funded Commuter Bicycle Center in St. Louis, the city of Hillsboro, Oregon is opening a similar center called Bikestation Hillsboro. As the very first full-service bike transit center in the entire state of Oregon, it will serve as an enriching installment to the already eco-conscious community that currently thrives in the northern part of the state.
Gotta LOVE the Pacific...
help portrait 2010 →
help-portrait is a global initiative for photographers around the world to grab their cameras, find people in need and taking their photo. its for families who have never had a portrait taken before, or who are in need of a fresh start and a new memory. its about mobilizing those who have skills and equipment and love and giving photos to those who need it, showing people their true beauty.
i...
Well, it was another great weekend in Hillsboro. To end a busy week with Green Teams, there was the SOLV banquet on Friday night. Miles and I drove to the native plant nursery in West Linn, Bosky Dell Natives, to pick up the centerpieces for the event.. in the UHaul. And I thought navigating a Campus Ministry minivan was difficult.. psshhh. We picked up the centerpieces, 42 in all, and some...
a conversation with jane goodall →
“Well, it is a jolly tough way to live, but it’s worthwhile. Because everywhere I go, there are shining eyes. There are children from our Roots and Shoots program who are all so excited to meet “Dr. Jane” and tell me what they’ve been doing to make the world a better place.”
There was a book I read when I was younger by Jane Goodall called My Life with the Chimpanzees; I must have...
the beehive collective
the beehive collective is rooted in rural eastern Maine and I came across one of their posters at our JVC fundraiser a few weeks ago. from their website:
“The Bees have spent 10 years developing an innovative and story-based education strategy that we share through a variety of interactive, image-based picture-lectures and graphic workshops. We believe that art is a tool for popular...
Remember when you were little and you would have to be in bed with your teeth brushed after dinner by 8:30? Those days seem to be back again for me with the combination of a full-time commitment to SOLV and daylight savings time; I feel like I’m back to being eight years old again as I tuck myself into bed seemingly earlier each night. But I am thankful each night for the tiredness I feel, as I...
i drink coffee now. weird. perhaps it has to do with having a real 9 to 5 (ish) job and commuting and looking at a computer screen? never thought i would see the day! don’t worry though.. i drink out of a reusable mug and try to buy local/fair trade =]
green team/solv has been going really well. the blog has BLOWN up and is becoming really popular; its a great way for me to share with a...
October 2010
19 posts
30 Day Gratitude Challenge →
With Thanksgiving thirty days away, (yay!) I love this idea of contemplating what I’m grateful for in my bountiful life not just on Thanksgiving day but every day.. I’m going to make a tree asap!
another paved paradise?? →
one of the fantastic community leaders i work with through SOLV is Barbara Quinn of the Friends of Baltimore Woods and she is a fantastic force and community activist. in recent months and days, she has been advocating for more public voice to be heard on a zoning and planning issue close to my heart. as most of you may know, GCI and other student activists were outraged last spring when...
what a full weekend! elena, sean and i went to roloff farms on friday to check out the great pumpkin farm and see what all the fuss was about. we had a good time goofing around and taking pictures; people came from a LONG way away and we travelled just 7 miles. (well.. plus 3,000 from new jersey, but who’s counting?)
this weekend was our first JVC retreat in molalla, oregon and it was...
life has certainly been busy in hillsboro these days! green team is going really well and all of the schools are visiting their sites and making lots of great progress. i was at a SOLV tree planting last weekend in Portland and with about 12 volunteers, we planted approximately 200 trees, just in time for global climate action day! with our three SOLV events last weekend, we planted hundreds of...
SOLV Green Team Blog →
we’ve gotten 44 hits in less than a week.. and i’ve only published two posts! the site was picked up by local part of the oregonian.. more updates from our program to come!
Fairfield University garden blessing →
the garden started by LEAF at Fairfield University (I was able to help out a bit with it this summer!) was blessed this past Monday.. all is going well! produce was used this past week as well for Farm-to-Chef week, an Connecticut Dept. of Agriculture campaign to localizing food and supporting local farmers. the garden is upkept by LEAF members, the Environmental Living and Learning residence...
had a great time this weekend in hood river, oregon.. a friend of my housemate miles has a home there and was gracious enough to let us stay the weekend. we had a great view of surrounding mountains and had a fabulous time exploring the natural beauty of the town and the areas nearby. we ventured up to a hiking trail on saturday and got sidetracked when we stumbled upon an open field.. we ended...
“Around the world, the White House is a symbol of freedom and democracy. It...”
– U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu, speaking about plans to install solar panels on the White House (via thatssogross)
September 2010
16 posts
The ReUse District in New Orleans →
I received my monthly email update from Rebuilding Together New Orleans, with whom I worked with twice in NOLA with my Fairfield groups. I came across this article and thought it was so inspiring and exciting to see that other cities are noticing efforts New Orleans is making and attempting to copy their model.
The ReUse district “comprises businesses and organizations in the 7th Ward,...
